New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI): The advance estimates show Delhi’s gross state domestic product (GSDP) at current prices during 2020-21 at Rs 798,310 crore, marking a contraction of 3.92 per cent over the previous year, the Economic Survey showed on Monday.
The GSDP at current prices increased by about 45 per cent in the last six years — from Rs 550,804 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 798,310 crore in the current financial year, according to the survey presented by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
The per capita income at current prices is estimated at Rs 354,004 against per capita income of Rs 127,768 at the national level, which makes Delhi’s per capita almost three times the national average.
The state has maintained its consistent revenue surplus which was Rs 7,499 crore during 2019-20 as compared to Rs 6,261 crore during 2018-19, the survey showed.
There is a fiscal deficit of Rs 3,227.79 crore during 2019-20 as compared to Rs 1,489.38 crore in 2018-19 which is 0.39 per cent of GSDP as compared to 0.2 per cent during 2018-19.
According to the survey, the state provided a budget allocation of 74.77 per cent for social service sectors under schemes or projects.
The education sector remained to be on the top with a maximum share allocation of 23.83 per cent. The state government has a total of 1,230 government and government-aided schools.
The gender gap in literacy in Delhi has declined moderately over the years from 12.62 per cent in 2001 to 10.1 per cent in 2011. The happiness curriculum has been implemented in all government schools and approximately 7.95 lakh students have been benefitted during 2019-20.
The education sector was followed by transport with a budget allocation of 14.67 per cent, medical and public health sector with 13.39 per cent share, social security and welfare with 13.11 per cent budget allocation, housing and urban development with 12.62 per cent and water supply and sanitation with 12.62 per cent share allocation.
Under the scheme Business Reform Action Plan, Delhi has ranked 12th in 2019 among all states and union territories.
According to the survey, peak demand for electricity increased from 5,846 MW in 2015-16 to 7,409 MW in 2019-20.
The per capita expenditure on health in Delhi increased from Rs 1,996 in 2014-15 to Rs 3,029 in 2019-20.
The state government is implementing a four-tier health care infrastructure model having Mohalla clinics and polyclinics at tier-one and tier-two for providing primary and secondary health care services. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI): Both Houses of the Parliament will commence their sitting from 11 am on Tuesday.
The decision to revise the timing of both Houses was announced on Monday. Both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were operating under curtailed hours of timing and social distancing norms amid COVID-19 induced norms.
Member of Parliament, Vandana Chavan, in the Rajya Sabha Chair, informed members today that the sitting of the Upper House to commence from 11 am to 6 pm from tomorrow.
“On the request from many members from various parties, the Chairman has decided that from Tuesday, the sitting of Rajya Sabha will commence from 11 am will 6 pm as usual timings of the House. Members will sit in Rajya Sabha and gallery,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha will also function as per usual timings of the House existing before the COVID-19 situation from tomorrow.
The second part of the Budget session of Parliament commenced from Monday with all COVID-19 precautionary measures in place.
Earlier, the Rajya Sabha was scheduled to function from 9 am to 2 pm while Lok Sabha was scheduled to function between 4 pm to 10 pm.
The Budget Session of Parliament, which commenced with the address of President Ram Nath Kovind on January 29, concluded on February 29. The Union budget was tabled in the Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI): Uzbek soldiers on Monday arrived in New Delhi to participate in Dustlik II joint Army exercise.
In the Indo-Uzbek Joint Exercise Dustlik-ll, the RezangLa Battalion 13 Kumaon is representing the Indian Army.
The exercise is based on counter-terrorist operations and aims at enhancing military cooperation. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI): Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the Congress will continue its protest demanding discussion on a hike in fuel prices in Parliament.
His remarks came as Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments following repeated sloganeering by the Opposition MPs demanding on fuel price hike in Parliament. Later, the Upper House was adjourned till 11 am tomorrow.
“We will continue our agitation demanding a discussion on fuel price rise when Rajay Sabha reconvenes at 1 pm,” Kharge told reporters here.
The Congress MP said the government has collected Rs 21 lakh crores by putting excise duty and cess on petroleum products in the last six years.
“None of the other larger nations has imposed cess and duty as much as the Indian government has imposed and even after all this, the government was not ready to talk about these issues,” he said.
“Narendra Modi government has collected Rs 21 lakh crore by putting excise duty and cess on petroleum products in the last six years. None of the larger power counties has imposed cess and duty as much as the Indian government has imposed and the government was not ready to talk about these issues,” said Kharge.
“The UPA government there was only 10 Rs was excise duty and under the NDA government it is Rs 33,” he added.
Congress MP Dipendra Hooda said, “The NDA government has only increased the rate of crops by 30 per cent and price of diesel by 89 per cent,” said Hooda.
“From common man to farmers, everyone is suffering due to rising Inflation rate in the country,” said.
After slogans were raised in Rajya Sabha, Rajya Sabha Chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu said: “I don’t want to take any drastic action on the first day.”

The second part of the Budget session of Parliament commenced from today with all COVID-19 precautionary measures in place. (ANI)

Amravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 8 (ANI): The overwhelming response to the government schools due to improvement in the education standards has resulted in a shortage of textbooks for these schools in Andhra Pradesh, officials have said.
According to the official release, as many as six lakh students enrolled in government and aided schools this year owing to the initiatives undertaken by the YSRC government to improve the facilities and standards there. The textbooks were printed based on the 2019-20 data, with a five per cent buffer, but it still created a shortage.
The number of students enrolled in government and government-aided schools went up to 40,84,983 by November 3, 2020, the release stated.
“The drastic increase in the number is primarily due to lakhs of students choosing to enroll themselves in government schools over exorbitant private institutions. Most of these students got transferred during the months of November, December, January and February, i.e even after schools were reopened,” the release reads.
The printing of text and workbooks was concluded by April 2020 with a five per cent buffer. The spike in the number of students opting for government institutions surpassed all expectations.
After a discussion which was attended by representatives of the School Education department of the government of Andhra Pradesh and representatives of the government’s printing section, an additional amount of seven crores was sanctioned for the purpose of printing the required number of text and workbooks which would be supplied to the 4,11,427 students who shifted to government and government-aided schools post-November.
The books are expected to be distributed to the students within 15 days.
“As on September 30, 2019, a total of 38,97,156 students were registered in government and government-aided schools. As the government was expecting the number to rise, owing to the initiatives taken by it to better the standard of education provided at government educational institutions, books for as many as 40,92,014 students were printed i.e; five per cent more than the existing figure of 38,97,156 as on the cut-off date,” it stated. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI): The Chief Justice of India SA Bobde on Monday said that as an institution and Court, “We have always had the highest respect for womanhood” and have never asked a rape accused to marry the victim.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Bobde maintained that the Court has the highest respect for womanhood as an institution, and there was “misreporting” on its recent queries in a rape case.
“We never asked anyone to marry,” Chief Justice said.
His query to rape accused — ‘Will you marry her?’ was in the facts of that case, said Chief Justice clarifying that Court never gave a suggestion that “You should marry her”.
“This court has always given the largest respect to women. Even in that hearing, We never gave a suggestion that you should marry, we had asked are you going to marry. It has been completely misreported,” the Chief Justice said while referring to a case where he asked a state government employee, facing charges of raping a relative when she was a minor if he intended to marry her.
The remark of Chief Justice Bobde caused a stir and a group of more than 4,000 women’s rights activists and progressive groups have written an open letter to him, saying that he must resign for asking a rapist to marry his schoolgoing victim and justifying marital rape in the Supreme Court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that Court’s statements were taken out of context and were twisted, statements can be twisted and will mean something different.
The Bench today made the observation while hearing a plea of a 14-year-old girl, who wants to terminate her unwanted 26 week-pregnancy.
Advocate VK Biju, appearing for the 14-year-old girl, told the Bench that people were trying to tarnish the Judiciary’s image, and some mechanism should be set up to deal with these people.
The Bench said that its reputation lies at the hands of the bar.
The apex court adjourned the matter for Friday after advocate Biju requested an adjournment in the case.
Haryana government last week told the Supreme Court that the medical report of a 14-year-old girl, who wants to terminate her unwanted 26 week-pregnancy, is ready and will be submitted to the Court.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA asked the government to submit the report to examine if it would be safe for a 14-year-old girl to terminate her 26 week-pregnancy and posted the matter for hearing on March 8.
The girl in her plea said she was raped by her cousin brother that led to the unwanted pregnancy. She has approached the apex court seeking permission to terminate her 26 weeks-pregnancy. (ANI)